Groundbreaking on the Hansator Quarter in the German City of Münster

A contemporary quarter combining residential and retail space, food and beverage offers, and accommodation, the Hansator quarter is about to be developed on the eastern side of Münster’s central railroad station. The groundbreaking ceremony for the large urban development project took place on November 21, 2018, attended by guests from the worlds of politics and business as well as the project stakeholders.

Landmarken AG plans to develop a new building complex with a gross floor area of around 29,000 square meters in total on the roughly 8,400 square-meter site at the central railroad station by 2021. Köster Bau is in charge of the overall construction work. Drees & Sommer has provided support on the project from the start with extensive engineering and infrastructure services. The sensational complex of buildings, designed by kadawittfeldarchitektur, connects the city center with the Hansa quarter and the port. In a move away from its current sole use as way of gaining access to the central railroad station, the lively city quarter will offer a variety of possible uses. The centerpiece of the project is the high, glazed ground floor, which comprises attractive retail and entertainment space and provides access to the other areas. These include a bicycle parking garage with around 2,200 public parking spaces, in addition to spaces for roughly 100 cars and a recycling center for Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company. The upper floors will provide various types of accommodation: a hotel with 195 rooms and co-living with service facilities.

The development of the site began with an investor and architect competition. The joint entry by Landmarken AG and kadawittfeldarchitektur impressed the judges not only by its sophisticated architecture but also its sustainable design. The key element is that the quarter creates an intelligent, symbiotic relationship between the old and the new building structure, and uses the railroad station as a link between two city quarters. The design is also environmentally friendly. Since no valuable green spaces have had to be sacrificed, the innovative construction project has already received the Polis Award. Gold-certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), the Hansator is destined to become a sustainable flagship project for the city of Münster after its completion. Glass noise barriers shielding the quarter from the platforms will enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants.